1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a child cup, commonly known as a “sippy cup,” comprising a cup coupled to a lid having an opening therethrough adapted to received a straw. More specifically, the invention is directed to a sippy cup having a sliding actuator positioning a straw coupled to a lid between an erect position accessible by a child and a closed position where the actuator covers over the straw making inaccessible an open end of the straw for drawing fluid from the sippy cup.
2. Background of the Invention
Specialty child cups have been in the marketplace for a number of years. These child cups limit the availability of a fluid, typically a beverage, from entirely spilling from the cup once the cup has been overturned by the child. Prior art cups have included generally two pieces; a cup and a top lid having an opening therethrough.
The opening through these prior art lids was designed to limit the cross sectional area through which the fluid may travel, thereby keeping the amount of unintended fluid exiting the cup to a minimum when the cup is overturned. These lids have generally included a molded nipple or other similarly shaped protrusion adapted to be received by the child's mouth to create a fluidic seal between the lid and child's mouth. An example might include U.S. Pat. No. 6,568,557.